The 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron is an active

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

unit. It is assigned to the 350th Spectrum Warfare Group at

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...

, Florida. It was formed in 1985 by the consolidation of three units. The 16th Aero Squadron, a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

squadron that provided maintenance support for aeronautical units on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

. The 16th Reconnaissance Squadron, which served during the years between the World Wars as an observation squadron, with its flights located with various Army schools. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the squadron served in the Mediterranean, where it was awarded a

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

for its performance from October 1943 to January 1944. The 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, which served as a long range photographic unit during the early years of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

Mission

The 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron (EWS) provides

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

test facilities for mission data and electronic warfare systems test and evaluation. Its personnel assess the maintainability, reliability, suitability, and readiness of electronic warfare systems and support equipment, and perform test and evaluation of new concepts for electronic warfare systems. They also monitor developmental testing conducted by acquisition agencies. The 16th EWS develops, fabricates and maintains test instrumentation and performs acceptance tests of all new electronic warfare related hardware and software and supports training for maintenance and operational units worldwide. The

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

also provides technicians and equipment to execute the COMBAT SHIELD Electronic Warfare Assessment Program. The 16th EWS has more than $450 million in assets, including eight system integration laboratories and five mobile test facilities.Eglin AFB Factsheet, 53d Wing
5/9/2013 (retrieved 20 May 2013) Detachment 1 of the 16 EWS is located at Tyndall AFB, Florida and provides maintenance support for adversary electronic attack training pods used for air-to-air electronic warfare training. These pods are repaired and modified at Tyndall AFB and shipped to fighter units worldwide. Det 1, 16 EWS also maintains electronic attack payloads for full-scale and subscale drones in support of live-fire missile testing under the COMBAT ARCHER Weapon System Evaluation Program.

History

The squadron was originally established as an Air Service flying training unit in May 1917, conducting flying training for air cadets in the Midwest throughout the summer. It deployed to France in January 1918, becoming an aircraft maintenance organization in rear areas of the

. It remained in France until May 1919 when squadron returned to the United States and demobilized. The 16th Squadron was established in 1921 as an observation squadron, attached to Army ground units throughout the 1920s and 1930s. It was consolidated with its predecessor in 1924. The 16th carried mail and performed fire observation duties, included carrying mail to President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

vacationing in South Dakota and Wisconsin in August and September 1927, and June to September 1928. After the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

the squadron was reassigned to antisubmarine duties along the southeast coast in late 1941, early 1942. It deployed to the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

, where it was attached to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

reconnaissance school at

RAF Wattisham Royal Air Force Station Wattisham or more simply RAF Wattisham is a former Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold War it was a major front- ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in late 1942. While in England, the air echelon received modern

Lockheed P-38 The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twi ...

long-range photo-reconnaissance aircraft and joined the ground personnel in

French Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...

shortly after the

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

invasion in November 1942. The squadron was assigned to

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...

and engaged in long range intelligence gathering and aerial mapping of Algeria and Tunisia, supporting the United States Fifth Army during the North African and Tunisian Campaigns. After the retreat of Axis forces from Tunisia in mid-1942, performed antisubmarine patrols over the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

and also functioned as in in-theater training unit for aerial reconnaissance pilots. Beginning in September 1943, the squadron received specially-equipped

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

heavy bombers equipped with

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

detection and

electronic countermeasure An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...

s (ECM) equipment. It performed ECM overflights of enemy territory in advance of

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

heavy bomber formations, jamming enemy Radar and generating false returns to confuse defensive forces. It also continued to fly long range reconnaissance with

B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

medium bombers fitted with aerial cameras.. The Squadron returned to the United States in November 1944 as the need for the unit dissipated as enemy forces were driven out of the

Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forc ...

. It was inactivated in April 1945. The 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron served with

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

as a long-range reconnaissance unit early in the

. Its mission was absorbed by the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing in 1949. In 1985, it was consolidated with its predecessors,Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 Sep 85, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons but remained inactive until 1993, when it assumed its present mission.

Lineage

16th Aero Squadron * Organized as 3d Aviation School Squadron on 9 May 1917 : Redesignated 16th Aero Squadron (Construction) on 31 Aug 1917 : Redesignated 16th Aero Squadron (Repair) 1918 : Demobilized on 22 May 1919 * Reconstituted and consolidated with 16th Observation Squadron as 16th Observation Squadron on 8 April 1924 16th Reconnaissance Squadron * Authorized as 16th Squadron (Observation) on 30 August 1921 : Organized on 7 December 1921 : Redesignated 16th Observation Squadron (Corps and Army) on 25 January 1923 * Consolidated with 16th Aero Squadron on 8 April 1924 : Inactivated on 15 March 1931 * Flights remained active and were assigned to the 14th Observation Group:Clay, p. 1383 :: A Flight at Langley Field, Virginia (attached to Air Corps Tactical School) :: B Flight at Lawson Field, Georgia (attached to

Infantry School A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. France ...

) :: C Flight at Pope Field, North Carolina (attached to 13th Field Artillery Brigade) :: D Flight at Marshall Field, Kansas (attached to

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

) :: E Flight at

Post Field Henry Post Army Airfield is a military use airport located at Fort Sill in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. This military airport is owned by United States Army. Established as Post Field in 1917, it was one of thirty-two Air Service t ...

, Oklahoma (attached to Field Artillery School)Constituted 1 October 1931, activated 1 November 1931. Clay, p. 1383. * Activated on 1 Jun 1937 : Redesignated 16th Observation Squadron (Medium) on 13 Jan 1942 : Redesignated 16th Observation Squadron on 4 Jul 1942 : Redesignated 16th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bomber) on 31 May 1943 : Redesignated 16th Reconnaissance Squadron, Heavy (Special) on 12 May 1944 : Disbanded on 12 Apr 1945Lineage through May 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 90-92, except as noted. * Reconstituted on 19 September 1985 and consolidated with 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron as 16th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron * Constituted as 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (Special) 1947 : Activated on 16 December 1947 : Inactivated on 1 June 1949 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with 16th Reconnaissance Squadron as 16th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron * Formed on 19 September 1985 by consolidation of 16th Reconnaissance Squadron and 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron * Redesignated 16th Test Squadron : Activated on 15 April 1993. : Redesignated 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron 13 September 1999

Assignments

* Unknown, 9 May 1917 – Jan 1918 * Second Aviation Instruction Center, Jan 1918 – Feb 1919; Feb-22 May 1919 *

Seventh Corps Area The Seventh Corps Area was a Corps area, effectively a military district, of the United States Army active from 1920 to 1941. It initially was responsible for army forces in Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (but not Jefferson Barracks), North Dakota, So ...

(attached to Cavalry School), 7 December 1921 * 7th Division, 24 March 1923 (remained attached to Cavalry School) * 2nd Cavalry Division, 15 August 1927 (remained attached to Cavalry School) *

12th Observation Group The 12th Reconnaissance Group is a disbanded United States Army unit. It was last active as the 12th Observation Group, United States Army Air Corps, assigned to the Eighth Corps Area at Brooks Field, Texas. It was inactivated on 30 June 1937. T ...

(remained attached to Cavalry School), 1 October 1930 – 15 March 1931 *

Fourth Corps Area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...

, 1 June 1937 (B Flight attached, later assigned, to Infantry School until 20 November 1940) * 44th Observation Group, 17 June 1937 * 32d Observation Group, 1 January 1938 * Armored Force, 3 October 1940 (attached to 2nd Armored Division after 15 November 1940) * 73d Observation Group, 1 September 1941 (attached to

68th Observation Group The 53rd Electronic Warfare Group was a component of the 53rd Wing of the Air Force Warfare Center, Air Combat Command, headquartered at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The group was responsible for providing operational, technical and mainte ...

from Feb 1942) * HQ Army Air Forces, 12 March 1942 * 68th Observation Group (later Reconnaissance Group, Tactical Reconnaissance Group), 29 March 1942 (attached to XII Air Force Service Command, 25 September 1943;

, 1 Jan 1944;

, 18 Feb 1944; Army Air Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 27 March 1944;

Northwest African Air Forces Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) was a component of the Allied Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) during February–December 1943. It was responsible primarily for air operations during the Tunisian Campaign and bombing of Italy. Its command ...

, 20 September 1943; Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, 10 December 1943; Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 1 January 1944 – 26 May 1944 * Army Air Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 26 May 1944 * Hq, Army Air Forces, 3 November 1944 – 12 April 1945 (attached to 311th Photographic Wing after 21 November 1944) * 311th Reconnaissance Wing (later 311th Air Division), 16 December 1947 – 1 June 1949 (attached to 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 10 November 1948 – 1 June 1949) * 68th Electronic Warfare Group, 15 April 1993 * 53d Electronic Warfare Group, 10 November 1998 * 350th Spectrum Warfare Group, 25 June 2021 – present

Stations

* Memphis Airdrome, Tennessee, 9 May 1917 *

Chicago Air Park Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Ch ...

, Illinois, 20 May 1917 *

Chanute Field Chanute may refer to: *Chanute, Kansas, United States **Chanute High School *Octave Chanute (1832–1910), American civil engineer and aviation pioneer *Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, United States *Octave Chanute Award, awarded by the Western S ...

, Illinois, c. 12 Jul 1917 *

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within ...

, New York, 4 Nov-4 Dec 1917 * St Maixent, France, a Jan 1918 * Tours, France, 24 Jan 1918 * St Gervais, Gironde, France, c. 12 Feb 1919 * Bordeaux, France, 17–23 Apr 1919 *

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territory ...

, New York, c. 7–22 May 1919 * Fort Riley, Kansas, 7 Dec 1921 – 15 Mar 1931 : Detachment operated between: North Platte Airport, Nebraska, and Rapid City Airfield, South Dakota, 1 Aug–Sep 1927 : Detachment operated between: Chicago Municipal Airport, Illinois, and Superior Airport, Wisconsin, Jun-14 Sep 1928 * Pope Field, North Carolina (flight at Lawson Field, Georgia), 1 Jun 1937 * Lawson Field, Georgia, 24 Oct 1940 * Daniel Field, Georgia, 9 Feb 1942 * Greensboro Airport, North Carolina, 7 Jul 1942 * Morris Field, North Carolina, 15 Aug 1942 * Langley Field, Virginia, 3–23 Oct 1942 : Detachment at

(AAF-377),Station Number in Anderson, p. 26. England, c. 5–21 Oct 1942 * Fedala, French Morocco, 9 Nov 1942 (Ground echelon) * Casablanca-Anfa Airport, French Morocco, 12 Nov 1942 *

Angads Airport Oujda Angads Airport () is an airport serving Oujda, a city in the Oriental region in Morocco. it is located about north of Oujda and about northeast of Casablanca, near the Algerian border. History During World War II, the airport was ...

Oujda Oujda ( ar, وجدة; ber, ⵡⵓⵊⴷⴰ, Wujda) is a major Moroccan city in its northeast near the border with Algeria. Oujda is the capital city of the Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of about 558,000 people. It ...

, French Morocco, 30 Dec 1942 * Berrechid Airfield, French Morocco, 24 Mar 1943 *

Berteaux Airfield Berteaux Airfield is an abandoned World War II United States Army Air Forces military airfield in Algeria, which was located approximately 9 km east of Telerghma; 35 km southwest of Constantine. The airfield was constructed as a semi ...

, Algeria, 6 Sep 1943 * Foch Field, Tunisia, 26 Sep 1943 : Detachments operated intermittently from several points in Italy and adjacent islands during period Oct 1943 – Mar 1944 : Operated primarily from

Foggia Airfield The Foggia Airfield Complex was a series of World War II military airfields located within a radius of Foggia, in the Province of Foggia, Italy. The airfields were used by the United States Army Air Force Fifteenth Air Force as part of the strat ...

, Italy, after 28 Mar 1944 * Foggia Airfield, Italy, 3 May-30 Oct 1944 : Detachment operated from Poretta Airfield, Corsica, until Sep 1944 * Bradley Field, Connecticut, 20 Nov 1944 * Buckley Field, Colorado, 1 Dec 1944 – 12 Apr 1945 * MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, 16 December 1947 *

McGuire Air Force Base McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the j ...

, New Jersey, 16 August 1948 – 1 June 1949 *

, Florida, 15 April 1993 – present

Aircraft

* JN-4, 1917 * DH-4, c. 1922–1926, * O–2, 1926-1930 * JNS-1, O-1, and apparently JN-4 and JN-6, 1921–1930 * O-25, 1930–1931 * O-46, 1937-C. 1939, O-47, 1938–1942, and O-49, 1941–1942 * YG-1, and O-43, 1937–1940 * O-51 and O-9, 1940–1941 * DB-7, L-4, P-40, and P-43, 1942 * A-20 and P-39, 1942–1943 * P-38, P-39, P-40, and Spitfire, 1943 * B-17, 1943–1944 * B-25, 1945

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book, editor=Maurer, Maurer, title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, origyear=1969, url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf , edition= reprint, year=1982, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-405-12194-6, oclc=72556, lccn=70605402

016 HV-016 is a former military unit of Norway, that was a part of the Home Guard. It was established after 1985 to "stop terror- or sabotage actions that could weaken or paralyze Norway's ability to mobilize its military and its ability to resist". ...